Hannah + Steven’s State Forest State Park Elopement
Hannah and Steven knew right away that they wanted to elope close to their home in Fort Collins, and after considering a few different options that I scouted for them, they decided on State Forest State Park. As with all of the Colorado State Parks, you need a special use permit for ceremonies here, but it was easy to obtain, and I always appreciate having a clear “yes, you can legally get married in this exact location” when taking a group out into nature for a ceremony.
Now there aren’t many vacation rentals close to State Forest SP, so the couple decided to rent a large home in Granby instead, and it was the perfect place for them to spend a few days with their closest friends. We started off the day at their house, where Hannah and Steven each got ready separately before having a first look in the pine trees outside. Hannah booked one of my absolute favorite hair and makeup artists, Crystal from Wild Brides Backcountry, who even came along with us on the hike later in the day!
From Granby, we had a long but beautiful drive to their chosen ceremony location, an hour and a half away. The couple had picked the exact ceremony location during a snowshoe through the woods this past winter, and we were pleasantly surprised to see it look just as beautiful at the height of summer. After a short ceremony led by a good friend, and a unity ceremony where the bride and groom made a peanut butter & jelly sandwich to share, everyone shared a toast with beer from the brewery in Fort Collins where Hannah and Steven had their first date.
Next we went off to hike one of their favorite trails for portraits, and the bride and groom even brought their fly fishing gear along! It’s so special when couples choose a location with meaning to them, and Hannah and Steven really nailed it with this trail—even if the fish didn’t bite that day. Afternoon thunderstorms started rolling in, and we cut our portrait time short to hike back just in time to get soaked on the final approach back to the trailhead.
Once back at their vacation rental, I got to photograph the dinner tables that the couple built themselves (!!) to dine on the large patio overlooking Granby, beautifully decorated by Tenboom Floral. Unfortunately the rain followed us back and the tables had to be moved inside for dinner, but that didn’t take away from the feast prepared by one of my favorite chefs, Jenn from Harvest to Home. The couple ended the day eating, drinking, and laughing around the dinner table with their favorite people, and it was such a beautiful reminder that while you can’t control the weather, you can still have an incredible elopement when you focus on what really matters.
